


When you Move, I'm Moved

by art_by_daphneblithe, Pineau_noir



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Blow Jobs, Captain America Reverse Big Bang 2019, Consent is Sexy, Embedded Images, Enemies to Lovers, Enthusiastic Consent, Fanart, Fluff and Smut, Hatemance, Inspired by Fanart, Lovers to enemies to lovers, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Rimming, Smut, Well - Freeform, angry hand jobs, dubious knowledge of ballet, more smut, safe sex, safe sex is also sexy, the villain of this piece is miscommunication, y'all i'm not gonna lie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-09 13:49:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19477180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/art_by_daphneblithe/pseuds/art_by_daphneblithe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineau_noir/pseuds/Pineau_noir
Summary: When Bucky Barnes, newest principal dancer with the Stark Ballet Company, and Steve Rogers, current principal dancer, are in the same room, sparks fly. Along with dirty looks, rude gestures, and curses. Being cast as the leads in the SBC'suntraditionalversion ofSwan Lakeforces them to work together and reevaluate the wrongs they each feel the other has caused.But the question remains: can they put the past behind them long enough to make it through not just one rehersal, but an entire production?





	When you Move, I'm Moved

#### March 2015

_I sit down with Steve Rogers in his apartment over a corner bodega. He's a big guy, and I should know, being over six feet tall myself. He has an affable smile and an almost 'aw-shucks’ attitude. He's quick to smile and he gestures wildly while we talk, blue eyes sparkling, blond hair messier in person than on the stage. And behind this corn-fed, all-American look is one of the greatest dancers of the decade._

_He seems shy talking about his role as a principal dancer in the newly founded Stark Ballet Company._

_“I just—” he rubs the back of his neck while a faint blush comes to his cheeks. It's charming and not at all expected. “I love to dance,” he continues. “Always have. Even when I was a 90 pound weakling who couldn't do a_ grand jete _without wheezing.” He is, of course, talking about his life before his life-saving heart surgery at only 13. Not only did it save his life, it allowed him to shoot up in weight, height, and let him dance in the way he had always imagined. “You know, my mom was a dancer. I guess we just have it in our blood.”_

    Pointe Magazine

     -story by Clint Barton, pictures by Sam Wilson

Bucky snorted and angrily threw the magazine down. Steve _fucking_ Rogers, darling of the New York ballet scene. Steve Rogers, who had the audacity to act like nothing was wrong, years too late. Steve Rogers who was man Bucky felt he lost his virginity to. Steve Rogers who decided not to call Bucky after said “loss of virginity”. He grunted and flipped off the wall. He didn’t know where Steve was currently residing so he was sure to make a circle, flipping off all of New York so as not miss Steve.

Wanda giggled a little bit when the profane gesture skipped her, but rolled her eyes at his childish behavior. “Bucky, you’re going to get lines if you keep frowning.” Bucky glared at Wanda who raised her eyebrow. “You know I’m not wrong.”

“But _mooommmm_ ” he whined. “Steve Rogers is an asshole.”

Wanda gave him another unimpressed look. “An asshole whose company you just joined.”

Bucky let out a sigh. “If it was anybody but Natasha—” he started.

“And me. And Becca. And your parents.”

Bucky nodded. He looked around his small studio apartment and took in the mess: his bed was shoved against the wall, boxes of books, of clothes, of gear filled the rest of the room. He did have a little breakfast nook set up so he wouldn't starve or order too much take-out after rehearsals. Letting out a sigh he rubbed the spot that wrinkled when he frowned. “I had rooms in Chicago,” he mused. “Actual rooms, and you know, no Steve fucking Rogers.”

“Me and Becca and Nat,” Wanda countered. She walked up to Bucky and pulled him into a hug. She was tiny, one of the smallest dancers he had ever worked with, so he had to stoop a little to rest his head on top of hers. He knew that New York was better for his career. He knew that Stark Ballet Company was one of the only places that would take him on account of his arm. Bucky started to get pissed all over again, at Steve, the injustice of loving an industry that was so unwilling to work with people with disabilities, his tiny, cramped apartment. He let out a sigh.

“It’s good to be home,” he admitted. “Small apartment or not.”

Wanda looked up at him and smiled. “Let’s go to see Becca!” she said with jazz hands.

Bucky rolled his eyes. “You live together,” he said, trying to fight back a smile.

“Yes, but we’re in love!” she chirped. “Plus you’ve been here for a few days and haven’t visited. You look tired and hungry. And we have delicious tea.”

Lured by the promise of tea and food with his sister and her girlfriend, who was also one of his best friends, Bucky finally started to feel at home again in New York.

The feeling of rightness lasted all night and into the morning. It stayed with Bucky through his first few classes with Wanda, until he got into the Master Class. He had been at the barre, laughing quietly with Wanda, stretching out his back when he saw Steve. His whole body immediately stiffened, a motion that was not lost on her.

“Bucky, just be professional,” she murmured. They were interrupted by Natasha Romanoff, another principal in the company, current teacher of the class, and one of Bucky’s oldest friends. She clapped her hands and glanced from Bucky to Steve, clearly reading the discomfort.

“Rogers,” she nodded at him. “James. You know each other. Play nice.” Steve looked like he had eaten something rotten. Bucky felt his lip curl. “I mean it boys!” Natasha’s voice cut through the room. “I will have a civil room. Shake hands and move the fuck on.”

Steve stalked over to Bucky, like he was hunting big game, thrust out his hand and growled out, “Bucky. Good to see you.” Bucky took his hand and squeezed it as hard as he could, wanting to see Steve wince. Wanting to see some soft of emotion from him. Something that said he remembered they had slept together; that he recognized they had a shared past and Bucky was the wronged party. Steve just squeezed back, making the small bones in Bucky’s hand shift. 

Bucky nodded and pulled his hand back like he had been burned. Steve’s hand was still warm and calloused. Just the feel of it took him back to a hot summer night, a club which, while filled with dancers, felt like it was just him and Steve dancing together, grinding, laughing. Disgusted with himself, he turned quickly and stalked off to Wanda. 

“Glad that’s taken care of,” Natasha said wryly. “Keep it civil or you’re both out of my class.” At their scandalized looks she clarified, “I mean it. You’re to act like the adults you swear you are. I won’t have either of you fucking this up for the company. Either one of you acts like an ass, and you’ll both be out for the day.”

Natasha turned, completely dismissing them and Bucky mouthed _I hate you so much_ across the room as Steve flipped him off.

“I’m glad you’re taking the high road, Bucky,” Wanda said as she rolled her eyes. 

The rest of the class passed in a blur. Bucky felt comfortable with Nat as a teacher, having danced with her throughout the past decade. He and Steve were able to successfully ignore each other for the hour and Bucky felt his flounce out of the room was fully justified. 

—— 

Steve knew that Bucky was joining the Stark Company. He was actually _consulted_ before Tony offered Bucky the contract. Not that he had any say on whether or not Bucky was going to be offered a spot, it was more along the lines of “can you act like an actual adult with him,” and Steve had agreed he could.

But as soon as he laid eyes on Bucky in Nat’s class, he felt the same surge of anger. He knew Nat was right to expect them to act professional but Steve was so frustrated by Bucky’s presence. They had a less than ideal past but Steve knew he was the wronged party. Even _Peggy_ agreed. 

Steve inhaled, held the breath for three seconds, and exhaled. He knew that the world of ballet was a hard one to break into if you had any sort of “defect” or “flaw”. Hell, he was living proof. His years dancing under Pierce, at Hydra, had taught him that. And Bucky had a metal arm. Steve’s surgery scars were more-or-less able to be hidden by makeup but nothing could disguise Bucky’s arm. Eight years ago, it had been the sexiest thing Steve had ever seen. Now, well it was still hot, but the man it was attached to was a prick.

“What’s got you all perturbed?” Peggy asked with a quirked brow. Steve grunted at her. “Oh, darling, you know your impression of a caveman is my favorite version of you,” she replied.

Steve finished doing his cool down stretches at the barre, walked over to the wall and let himself slide down. Peggy joined him on the floor and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “It’s just seeing _him_ again,” Steve said softly.

“Bucky?” Steve rolled his eyes at Peggy. 

“Yes, _Bucky_. And what a stupid name for a grown man.”

Peggy patted him on the shoulder. “You knew this would be difficult, darling. But you can definitely be the better man. I know you have a difficult history with him but—”

“Difficult is putting it mildly, Pegs. We had a perfect night and lost touch and then when I dared to reach out to him, to congratulate him, his exact words were ‘fuck off’. And Nat and Wanda _love_ him even though he was a dick to me.”

“Steve,” Peggy started, gently. “He and Natasha grew up together. And Wanda is practically engaged to his sister. They have so much more of a history together than just dancing for the SBC. Besides, it’s not like either of them hate you.”

“But he’s a jerk,” he whined back. 

“He may be, but that doesn’t mean you have to be one back. Be the better man. Take the high road. Stiff upper lip, and all that nonsense,” Peggy said as she bumped into his shoulder. “I’m not sure what made him change from the charming person we all saw that summer into this, but unfortunately we don’t know what he went through. I’m not saying you’re unjustified in your dislike, but _something_ had to have happened to cause that reaction.”

“Yeah, he turned into an asshole,” Steve grumbled. He slouched down to rest his head on Peggy’s shoulder. “It’s just hard to see him and not remember what happened that summer.”

“I know, darling. I really do. But people change. You’re not the same cocky asshole you were. Teenagers rarely know what they’re doing.” Peggy smiled at him softly. “You know we all adore you. And I’m sorry he was rude, but it was four years ago. You don’t have to like him; you just have to work with him. Plus I’m sure Natasha knows not to cast you in the same production. She’s smart enough to know that would be a wreck of epic proportions.”

Steve let out a sigh. “I know. You’re right. I just thought I had moved past all of the negative feelings about him, but apparently I was only successful in burying them.”

#### August 2008

Bucky was tired. His new arm was _heavy_ and he was still relearning the basics. Thankfully he had strong core muscles, but counter balancing his new arm kept throwing his turns off. He didn’t even want to think about his jumps. not have applied himself in academics; instead he would have been wrapped up in dance. Everything had changed the year before, in the accident. He shook his head. Thinking about losing his arm and the subsequent surgeries and getting a replacement arm that he may or may not feel was his own, all of that was a recipe for a panic attack. But all of that was a year ago. And he had done all of the physical therapy to get the range of motion and he was able to move the metal thing like it was part of his body. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. The arm _was_ part of his body, he reminded himself. It might be a little heavier than he remembered, but he had been without his left arm for several months so he didn’t really remember how heavy the original had been. It was different. It took time to adjust. 

Thankfully the founders of the Stark Foundation summer program were willing to work with him and he didn’t lose his place in the workshop. He was still worried about college in the fall; he already had a place in the University Ballet of Chicago and a scholarship to the University of Chicago. Bucky was lucky his sister Becca was brilliant and they were both hella competitive because otherwise he would _not_ have applied himself in academics; instead he would have been wrapped up in dance. But Bucky was still having problems dancing and all of his hopes of actually making his career in ballet hinged on how well he did at this summer program and how well everything translated over to Chicago. He was sad to leave NYC but realistically, he knew he needed so much more practice before he set his sights on even being in the _corps de ballet_ of a major company. 

Taking a deep breath, Bucky walked into the studio, shoulders squared, trying to project confidence, when deep down, he was everything but confident.

—— 

The first week flew by. Bucky slept better than he had at any point after the accident. Considering he was dancing eight hours a day, he wasn’t actually surprised. What did surprise him was the ease at which he got back into the fine details of ballet. He still was all over the floor during his pirouettes but he had lost no height in his leaps, his barre work was still as precise as always, and the new arm actually helped with lifts. He did have a little fatigue around his shoulder, where metal met flesh but his biceps and triceps no longer ached after lifting someone dance after dance. 

What surprised Bucky the most was the amount of people who just didn’t seem to care that his left arm was made out of metal. In fact, he noticed there were a couple of people with obvious scarring from accidents or surgeries and a woman who was missing her right arm, from the elbow down. The rest of the students seemed to be without obvious “imperfections” but Bucky felt more comfortable knowing he wasn’t the only one who didn’t have the perfect dancer’s body. 

The second week was just as grueling, but he had started to make friends. As he wasn’t using this as try-outs for a place in a large company, he was able to be friendly with everyone. There were a couple of people who seemed pretty fun, a gorgeous guy named Gabe, a prim and proper man from England whom they promptly nicknamed “Monty”, Peggy, another Brit whose positions were as unyielding as her red lipstick; and _Steve_. Bucky felt his cheeks heat when he thought about Steve. He was mildly infatuated, he could admit to himself. Steve was a couple of inches taller than Bucky, blond and blue eyed and danced with barely restrained power. For all of his power, he was also incredibly tender when he danced. 

He barely made a sound when he landed from his jumps and his lifts made his partners appear weightless. But Bucky’s favorite part about Steve was when he was complimented; his blush stretched down past the neck of his shirt. One slightly strange thing was that he never seemed to take off his shirt. Bucky knew it couldn’t be because he wasn’t built, thanks to the athletic, sweat wicking “smedium” shirts (Bucky had no idea how he got them so _tight_ ) that left nothing to the imagination. Bucky was self-conscious about his arm so he assumed Steve had something that bothered him as well. He shrugged, knowing it wasn’t his place to judge.

The weeks flew by and Bucky’s body got stronger, his turns more precise, his jumps higher. He was dancing better than he ever could have imagined. The long, hot looks Steve shot him didn’t hurt either. Finally the last week arrived, and with it the last rehearsal and the show. 

After the midday show, several people were gathering in the lobby of the dorm building.

“Let’s go to the club!” Peggy’s voice rang out. Steve motioned for Bucky to join them.

“Feel like dancing, Barnes?” he asked with an almost evil grin.

Peggy rolled her eyes while Gabe groaned. “Steven, you’re ridiculous. Bucky darling, we’re going to go Salsa dancing. There will be no talk of ballet tonight. The show is over, it’s time to let off some steam.”

Monty cleared his throat. “Some of us need that more than others, love.” Bucky felt his face flush, while Steve seemed to find something _very_ interesting on the floor. Peggy just smirked back at Monty. 

“Either way, we all need some fun—” Peggy started

“And margaritas,” Gabe said, interrupting. Everyone but Bucky nodded their assent. Bucky was only 18 and knew that bartenders tended to frown on underaged drinking. Outside of teen movies that was. There were a _lot_ of drunk teens in movies. 

Steve moved over to Bucky and knocked their shoulders together. “I don’t drink so don’t worry. Not everybody is gonna end up sloshed. Think you can help me keep these assholes in a row?” Bucky nodded, wondering how Steve read his mind so well. Or at the very least, how much his face showed his inner thoughts at any given time. 

“OK ladies and gents and anyone who falls somewhere in-between, let’s get on our tightest pants, our shortest skirts, our sheerest shirts, basically whatever makes you feel like dancing _dirty_ ,” Steve growled. He and Bucky were still standing shoulder to shoulder and the timbre of his voice sent a shiver up Bucky’s spine and his toes curled a little. Steve rocked back into Bucky and sent him a quick wink. “Meet back in an hour?”

With wordless assent, Bucky scrambled to grab his gear and practically ran to his dorm room. He knew he needed a shower and was glad at the timing because he was starting to have difficulty in keeping his body’s interest in Steve to himself. 

A quick shower and a not-so-quick spine tingling orgasm later, Bucky was a little willing to admit that he had terrible timing in admitting to himself that he liked Steve. A summer fling would have been nice before the move to Chicago though. He shook his head. Finding a program that helped him get back some of his lost technique was enough at the moment. He didn’t need sex to call this a successful summer. Though it would have been nice to have had both. He was smirking as he walked outside to meet the rest of the group. 

He took a couple of deep breaths, the muggy air comforting as much as it was gross. He had taken Steve’s advice to heart and was wearing his tightest pair of jeans and a v-neck that he had been told that made his collarbones look delectable. It was a weird compliment, sure, but he had enjoyed the quick handies he and the guy who uttered it had traded. As soon as Steve and Peggy walked out the door, all thoughts of his previous hookups fled his mind. Peggy was in a skin tight, red as sin dress that barely came past her crotch. But Steve— Bucky let out a gasp. Steve was in dark jeans, a white shirt, and tan vest. All in all the outfit seemed tame but the shirt was completely sheer and fit him like a second skin. 

Peggy must have seen the look on his face because she winked and pushed at Steve so they were suddenly very close.

“Hey,” Steve whispered. “That color looks good on you.” Bucky could feel Steve’s eyes raking up and down his body. 

Somebody clearing their throat behind them, quite loudly, broke Bucky’s silence. “You look nice too,” Bucky said in a gruff voice. He lightly touched the sheer material on Steve’s bicep. “You really took your own advice to heart, huh?” Steve laughed and Bucky felt heat from his head to his toes.

“You did too,” Steve murmured back as the rest of the group made jeering sounds behind them. Gabe called out “get a room!” and everybody laughed. Steve just rolled his eyes and reached down to grab Bucky’s hand.

“This OK?” he asked as he squeezed. Bucky could only nod, his mouth as dry as his palms were sweaty. He cursed his nerves, but Steve didn’t seem to mind. He let himself be turned so they were both facing the group, and glanced over at Steve who had his eyebrows raised.

“Steven, are you going to be terribly soppy?” she asked with a smile. “Because this is not that kind of a night.”

Bucky felt Steve shrug through their hands and glanced over at him. He had a goofy look on his face when he answered, “dunno, Pegs. Is there gonna be romantical music or just stuff to grind to?”

“Both, perhaps,” she replied with a slight leer. “Which would you prefer?” Bucky felt Steve shrug again. Peggy just laughed and turned to lead the group, who finally were all gathered together, down the sidewalk towards the club.

#### January 2016

_Ballet has been a staple of high society for hundreds of years. In days past, it used to be something only available to royalty. However, in the current political climate, attitudes have changed about the discipline._

_“Trump’s a real asshole,” Natasha Romanoff, Stark Ballet Company dancer and instructor, states when asked about the most recent presidential debate. “If he took even a second to watch, he would realize how dedicated our dancers are. To say… well to say_ that _—” she trails off with a frown._

_“That” is of course referring to the presidential candidate’s slur against male dancers. “Who anyone chooses to love is nobody’s business but their own,” Natasha continues._

_Which, of course, is why she and Tony Stark have decided to cast the role of Odette and Odile with newly hired James “Bucky” Barnes, opposite Steve Rogers as Prince Siegfried in their production of_ Swan Lake _. “It’s basically a ‘fuck you’ to bigots,” SBC founder, Tony Stark explains. “He said that, so we did this. Simple as that.”_

_Tony shares a wry smile with Natasha. “Simple” may not be the correct explanation if rumors of Barnes and Rogers’s feud are true._

    Pointe Magazine

     -story by Clint Barton, pictures by Sam Wilson

“I swear to god, if the two of you keep acting like jackasses, Tony is going to murder me and my ghost will come back to haunt you both!” Natasha yelled. Her normally tempered voice cut through Steve and Bucky’s bickering.

Bucky gave Steve one last look and turned to Nat. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Don’t be sorry, be a bloody professional! You both said you could do this. If you don’t do it for me, at least channel your anger into the dance. I know you both have some sad-white-boy story with each other but you’re grown-ass men. Start fucking acting like it.” 

Steve smirked. “ _Bloody_ , Nat? Really? You’ve been spending too much time with Pegs.”

She turned her glare to Steve and Bucky was a little relieved. “Perhaps you should spend more time with her so she could teach you patience.” Natasha’s voice was like ice. “Now let’s start this over again.” She spun around to walk to the front of the room. “Less aggression this time,” she mumbled. “You’re supposed to be in love.”

Bucky made sure she wasn’t looking at him and rolled his eyes. _In love with Rogers. Fuck that_ , he thought to himself. He was more likely to fall in love with Wanda. He huffed out a little laugh and caught Steve’s eye. Steve just scowled at him. 

“Something funny over there, Barnes?”

“Just your face.” They were whispering so Natasha couldn’t hear what they were saying. By the look on her face, she could guess the context.

“Fine! I’m out. The two of you can figure this out on your own. I may be willing to let you look like assholes, but I’m not going to stay in the room while you whisper insults at each other. I’ll see you in your individual scenes but I refuse to work with you together. Until you’re ready to be civil, I’m out,” Natasha repeated as she stomped out of the room.

“For someone so small, she sure can make a lot of noise,” Steve remarked.

“You would know about noise,” Bucky replied.

“Excuse me, what?”

“Oh, you just sound like an elephant when you land. Nothing important. It’s probably because your head is so big, it adds a bunch of extra weight.” Bucky smirked at Steve’s expression. “Yeah, the gaping look is pretty on-trend for you too. Well done, Rogers. You’ve managed to pack all of your shortcomings into this one rehearsal.”

Steve closed his mouth so quickly it looked like it hurt. He walked to the other side of the room, gathered up his bag, threw a sweater over his shirt, growled “fuck you, Barnes,” and left.

Bucky did a little dance of victory and set the music to his solo. If he had the studio to himself, he was going to work on what he needed. He felt himself get lost in the turns and jumps and when he finished, he noticed Natasha standing there.

“Very nice, James. But it’s time for your rehearsal with Steve.” She half pulled, half shoved Steve into the studio. “I will lock the fucking door,” she warned. “You will do this together or I will cast someone else. Tony’s willing to back me up on this. We will reprint everything if you can’t.”

Bucky felt his heart stutter. Sure he hated Steve, but he knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. The dual role of the swan princess and one of the villians was a dream come true for most ballerinas. To have a man play them was unheard of. If he publically lost the roles, his failure would follow him forever. “Truce?” he squeaked out. 

Steve nodded, his face a bit gray. “Yeah.” 

“You have the studio for an hour. Use it well.” Natasha slammed the door on her way out.

“From the top?” Steve asked, suddenly serious.

“Yeah,” Bucky said. 

#### May 2012

This was going to be _Steve’s_ year. Sure he was only 23 but he had just been hired by the Hydra Company to be an understudy for their principal dancer, Brock Rumlow. And yes, being an understudy at his age wasn’t ideal, but— Steve shook his head— it was only a decade after his heart surgery. He had lost so much skill while recovering. Well, and growing. 

But Steve _knew_ he was going to be able to make dance into his life’s work. He only wished his Ma had been able to see him dance in more than just a company try-out. _Positive thoughts, Rogers,_ his inner voice, the one that sounded a lot like Peggy, reminded him. 

“Don’t wish for it, work for it,” he whispered to himself. Thinking of Peggy, he decided to text her to see if she wanted to see his new place. He was finally making enough to afford an apartment that was close to the studio, but he didn't have to share it with a roommate. He was ecstatic. Peggy sent back that not only was she on her way, but she also had a bottle of bubbly to celebrate.

——

“Pegs, did you ever imagine we would be here?” Steve asked with a slight slur. He didn’t drink often so the Prosecco had hit him like a lead balloon. They were sitting on the floor, drinking out of the bottle since every available surface was covered and all of his kitchen things were still packed. “Like, when you were a kid dancing for the first time— did you ever think you would actually _make_ it?”

“I knew I wanted to do something with ballet. Honestly I didn’t know in what capacity, be it teaching or actually dancing, but I always knew dancing was in my bones.”

“I just— ya know—” Steve pointed at his chest. “The whole heart thing, the whole being tiny thing. I thought it was a pipe dream.”

“And now we’re here,” Peggy said as she kissed him on the cheek. Peggy’s kisses were the best kisses. 

“Love you, Pegs.” Steve hugged her from his spot on the floor.

“Steven Grant, I do believe you’ve had enough. But speaking of pipe dreams—”

“Smooth segue,” Steve interrupted.

“Do you remember James Barnes? From the Stark Workshop?”

“Bucky?” he asked. 

Peggy nodded. “You fancied him.” There was no question in her voice.

Steve felt himself flush. Not only did he _remember_ Bucky, he would admit several of his favorite fantasies featured their night together. He wished there had been some way to stay in contact with Bucky but the workshop was over and Steve hadn’t had any way to reach out to him. “Yeah. We uh, yeah. You know what we did.”

“Darling, in too much detail do I know what you did.” For her sarcastic tone, her smile was soft. “He’s done well in Chicago. Apparently he’s graduating from university and was hired by the Joffrey.”

Steve gaped at her. “That’s huge!” he exclaimed. “How did you find out?”

“There’s a new platform, called Instagram, that my agent told me about. It’s imaged based so it’s expected to be huge in the performing arts world. Angie suggested I sign up and one of the first things that popped up was a piece about Bucky.

“You should think about creating an account as well,” she continued with a grin. “Not just to get your name out there, but you can see if Bucky has an account and reach out to him.”

Steve jumped up, pulled Peggy up into a hug, and laughed. 

—— 

**Follower Request Sent**

**New message to Bucky Barnes**

Hey Bucky! It's Steve from the Stark Workshop! I saw an article about you being an up and coming dancer in Chicago. There was a little footage on YouTube and you look great! Congrats on getting a place at the Joffrey. Do you have plans to visit NY anytime soon? It would be great to see you again!

**New Message to Steve Rogers**

Fuck off Steve

#### February 2016

After the disaster that was their first week of rehearsal, Steve and Bucky fell into a more consistent routine. Steve still thought Bucky was an ass, but they tried their best not to talk to each other. Various grunts and “like that, yeah?” were the extent of their conversations. Until Valentine’s Day.

“Fuck! That’s my toe,” Steve shouted after a lift. 

“Then maybe you should watch your feet,” Bucky replied with a snarl. 

Steve jerked out of his arms. “I wouldn’t have to watch my feet if you paid any attention to what you’re doing.” He scowled at Bucky. 

“Fuck you, Rogers. It’s not my fault that was a sloppy lift.” Bucky’s face was pink from anger and Steve definitely did _not_ find it attractive. Not. At. All.

“Sloppy lift? I’m just doing the best I can with what I’m working with. Maybe you should strengthen up your core a little more so you wobble less.”

Bucky sputtered and Steve had to bite back a giggle. “ _Strengthen my core_?” he shrieked. “This coming from the man who grunts every time he lifts me?” He gave Steve’s shoulder a little shove. 

Steve raised his eyebrows and sneered. “We’re resorting to physical violence?” 

“That’s no more violent than when you drop me,” Bucky replied with another little shove. Steve shoved him back and the rough-housing continued until they had traveled the few feet to the wall. Steve was pleased that Bucky was the one trapped. He made himself as big as he could and slapped the wall, both arms now surrounding Bucky’s head.

“You drive me so fucking mental, Barnes.”

“The feeling is mutual, _Rogers,_ ” Bucky spat out.

“You could have joined any other company. Why did you have to come and ruin my life?” Steve wasn’t whining. It was a very manly interrogation. 

“Yes, you’re right. The world does revolve around you, Steve. I came back solely to fuck your life over, you narcissistic piece of shit. That’s literally the only reason I joined the SBC.” 

Bucky’s face was flushed and there was sweat at his temples, both from dancing and their argument. It reminded Steve of how Bucky looked when he was coming apart and his cock twitched. He tried to shake off the feeling but Bucky was gorgeous in the harsh lights, his ripped shirt showing off his sun-kissed skin.

“I hate you,” Steve whispered.

“I hate you more,” Bucky replied, their faces so close Steve could feel Bucky’s breath. Bucky looked like he was gearing up for another rant so Steve, in a moment of insanity, leaned in and kissed him. 

It was hot and wet and harsh and Bucky grunted. Steve reared back. “Shit! I’m sorry I shouldn’t have—”

Bucky cut him off with a kiss of his own. “This changes _nothing_ , Steve.”

“Agreed,” Steve said against his mouth and bit his lower lip. Bucky let out a gasp and grabbed Steve’s arms, clinging on to them like a lifeline. There was no finesse to their kisses and it was filthy enough to make Steve moan. Their teeth clashed and their tongues jabbed at each other. Bucky’s mouth was like a furnace and he tasted of stale coffee and mint and orange juice. It should have been disgusting but Steve was so turned on, he didn’t have it in him to care.

After a few moments, Bucky moved his hands from Steve’s arms to his hips and slid his thigh between Steve’s legs. It felt electric and Steve temporarily lost feeling in his toes as they kissed and ground against one another. Finally he tore his mouth off of Bucky’s.

“This is a terrible idea,” he said.

“Oh, the worst,” Bucky agreed.

“Great, glad we can agree on something.” Steve wasted no time in recapturing Bucky’s mouth in a punishing kiss. 

#### August 2008

Bucky was extremely grateful he and Steve had opted out of drinking. He was already feeling muddled from the heat; from the bodies packed tightly together, moving in tandem. Mostly his head was filled with _Steve_. The way their bodies moved together, the way he smelled, like fresh, clean sweat and citrus; and the heat in his eyes. Steve moved his head in, closing the tiny gap that separated them and lightly nipped at Bucky’s ear before whispering, “back to mine?”

Bucky leaned his head back and captured Steve’s mouth with his own, licking and gasping into his mouth. “Fuck yes,” he gasped when they both came up for air. Steve’s body moved even closer until all of their available skin was touching. He rolled his hips against Bucky and let out a gasp, shocked to realize they both had at least a semi.

With one last teasing bite to Bucky’s bottom lip Steve turned and led them out of the club. The night had cooled fractionally, but Bucky was glad for the fresh air. Dancing had been fun but the strong pulse of the bass had started to hurt Bucky’s head. Plus, Steve was one of the few dancers at the workshop who had their own room. They hurried back to the dorms in silence, the street lights seeming brighter as they held hands and avoided looking at each other. Bucky started to feel a little nervous. Leaving the group had _seemed_ like a good idea in the club, but now that he and Steve were on their way to his room, the butterflies in his stomach started to flap their wings in earnest. He knew that Steve was interested, their grinding on the dance floor was a pretty solid indicator of it, but he hadn’t done much beyond handjobs and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself. 

They reached the dorms and Steve led Bucky into the elevator. Bucky was glad that for once they could take the easy way out. Dancing for the workshop, then dancing in the club, _plus_ going up ten flights of stairs seemed like too much work before sex. It also had the added benefit of Steve crowding Bucky against the wall on their ascent and kissing him senseless. The door dinged open and they broke apart gasping. 

“This way,” Steve murmured. “You're OK doing this?”

Bucky nodded, his throat dry but his body buzzing with anticipation. “Yeah,” he finally got out. “Yeah, I'm good….”

Steve unlocked the door and Bucky followed him in, taking in the messy twin bed, the duffle bags half filled with Steve's stuff. They would both be leaving the next morning and Bucky felt a little twinge of sadness that this would be his last night here with the people he had met. The dancers who cared more about him than about how they could further their career by using him. He knew ballet was a cutthroat discipline, everybody wanted to be at the top. But in the Stark Workshop, the dancers were working on bettering themselves instead of one-upping each other. Bucky stopped thinking about the other dancers when Steve's mouth met his again.

Steve led them both to his bed, their mouths never leaving the other's for more than a few seconds. Bucky felt the edge of the bed touch the back of his legs and he pulled Steve down with him. They rolled until Bucky was on his back with Steve hovering above him, their hips starting to grind together. “Fuck you're gorgeous,” Steve groaned. 

“You're not too bad yourself, Steve.” 

Steve growled a little and Bucky's legs tangled around Steve's waist, pulling him down and letting Bucky control the tempo. They kissed and humped each other like high schoolers, which, Bucky would admit was only a couple of months ago in his case.

Steve moved to Bucky's neck and started kissing and nipping down until he was at Bucky's collarbone. “Will you take your shirt off?” he mumbled into Bucky's neck. Bucky nodded and they squirmed until Bucky got it off. Steve sat up and pulled his vest off and Bucky saw why Steve always wore a shirt while dancing. There was an angry red scar over his breastbone. Bucky tried not to stare but he wasn't as successful as he hoped because Steve frowned a little and looked away.

“It's— it's fine,” he whispered. “It's old...ish, and I'm fine. Don't really wanna talk about it. Can we just—”

“Yeah, Steve. Fuck, I'm so sorry. Ignore me. Fuck, like I don't know what it's like,” Bucky answered while wiggling the fingers of his left arm. “Can we start again with you taking off your shirt so I can ogle you instead?”

Steve's cheeks tinged pink. “As long as I can ogle you, punk.”

Bucky smiled, happy that the slightly uncomfortable mood had passed. “Jerk,” he said with a smirk. Steve unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it somewhere and suddenly Bucky was covered with a half-naked Steve. Their chests bumped against each other and Steve started kissing and biting Bucky's newly exposed chest. He got to a nipple and licked, causing Bucky's hips and breath to stutter. 

“Yeah?” Bucky could hear Steve's smug tone so he ground his dick against Steve's.

“Didn't take you for the kind that needed a lot of accolades, Steve.” In retaliation Steve sucked in Bucky's nipple until Bucky was gasping.

Steve caught Bucky's eyes. They were hot and Bucky could see the self-satisfied grin on his face. “Yeah,” Steve said again. “You like that. You're so goddamn sensitive, Buck. Makes me feel like I can't breathe.” 

Bucky shivered at Steve's tone, then gasped as he reached Bucky's hip bone and his strong hands started rubbing Bucky's cock through his pants. His hands seemed tentative as they played with Bucky's zipper. “Is this OK?” Steve's voice was light. Bucky looked down at the sight of Steve, blond hair damp against his temples from the sweat of their grinding, blue eyes dark, face open and uncertain. 

“Yeah, whatever you want, Steve,” Bucky croaked out. “I'm not ready for—” He grimaced. Communicating was _hard_. “I've never, in my ass—”

Steve let out a small laugh. “Yeah, no, me neither. I was thinking I could suck you?”

Bucky's “yes” was very enthusiastic. Steve unzipped his pants and slid them down Bucky's legs while Bucky wiggled out of his boxers. His dick was pink and starting to leak and Steve raised an eyebrow. “That's a nice looking cock you've got there,” he teased.

Bucky snorted. “I thought there was going to be less admiring and more—”

Steve cut him off by wrapping his lips around the head of Bucky's penis. Bucky groaned at the feeling of Steve's hot, wet mouth and his tongue that seemed to find new and interesting places to stimulate. Steve looked up and fucking _winked_ as he sunk down on Bucky. He went down slowly, but soon his nose was nestled in Bucky's pubic hair and Bucky forgot to inhale. Steve pulled back, just as slow and popped off, making a lewd noise. “Only good thing about this—” he pointed to his chest “—no gag reflex.” Then he sank back down on Bucky, bobbed his head and moved a hand to cradle Bucky's balls. Bucky could feel his toes curl, a tingling in his cock, his balls drawing up and he gasped.

“Steve, 'm bout to—” Steve, the _asshole_ gave him a thumbs up and hollowed his cheeks until Bucky's eyes clenched shut and he spilled his release into Steve's mouth. He stayed between Bucky's legs until his breathing was almost back to normal and he was whining from the slight over-stimulation of Steve's mouth, still giving his spent dick little kitten licks.

Bucky pulled at his shoulders until they were face to face and clumsily shoved his tongue into Steve's mouth. “That was so good. I've never come that hard,” Bucky gasped out between kisses. “Let me return the favor?” Steve shifted his hips and Bucky felt his hard-on, hot against his thigh.

“Yeah,” he sighed out. Together they got Steve undressed and on his back in the narrow bed. Bucky wasted no time in getting his mouth all over Steve's bared skin. He spent long moments sucking red spots into Steve's neck, his collarbone, his pecs, along his ribs, and finally down to his hips. Bucky was trying to hit all the spots Steve has spent so much time on, using it as a map of what he hoped were Steve's sensitive spots. By the chill bumps and gasps, he thought he had been successful.

He bent down and licked a stripe under Steve's balls and carried it over the hard seam until he was at the base of Steve's cock. He left open mouth kisses all the way up the underside until he reached the top and sucked Steve down as far as he could take. Bucky had a slight moment of doubt when he thought about his very real gag reflex, but Steve just groaned as Bucky's lips met his hand, both of them covering most of Steve's dick. He bobbed his head and kept his mouth as tight around Steve as he could stand. Steve smelled even more potent from where Bucky was situated. The sweat was still clean smelling and the citrus scent (Bucky thought maybe grapefruit) was even stronger. It must be his soap, Bucky decided as he kept going down on Steve.

“Bucky!” Steve's voice was strained. “I'm about to—”

He massaged Steve's hip and kept working his cock with his hands and mouth. He felt a blossom of pride in his chest at making Steve fall apart. Especially since this was his first time performing this particular act. Soon his mouth was filled with Steve's bitter release. He smirked at the low volume of come, knowing Steve must have used his shower time to get off as well. He swallowed and moved up to accept Steve's lazy kisses.

“That was great, Buck. Thanks,” he whispered. “Wanna stay here for the night?” Bucky nodded and they wiggled until they found the best way to cram themselves into the long twin bed. Bucky feel asleep quickly and only the chime of his alarm the next morning disturbed him. He got up, groggy from the late night, found a scrap piece of paper, and scribbled his number down. Pressing one small kiss to the top of Steve's head, he let himself out so he could get his belongings together and go home.

#### March 2016

After the shocking make-out session on Valentine’s Day, Steve was a little bit more bearable. Bucky still wanted very little to do with him, but the loathing had gone from a bright white heat to more of a warm ember. It didn’t help that they had friends in common. And that, to Bucky’s dismay, Steve was incredibly smart and funny. He had a sharp wit that had Bucky biting back laughter during rehearsal after rehearsal. But Steve was still an asshole and Bucky still loathed him with every fiber of his being. 

At least that’s what he told himself when he saw Steve smile at him. Which just made Bucky feel and act more prickly.

“You’re both going to have to get over this petty feud,” Peggy snapped one day after rehearsal. “I know Steven is incredibly bullheaded, but I remembered you as more even tempered.”

Bucky bristled. He _was_ even tempered. He glared at Peggy and jerked his head to where they needed to be to start the dance. Though he and Steve were the leads in _Swan Lake_ , they were the only men in the production. Nat had explained that since Republicans hated women as much as queer men, they were only having those two groups in the production. Tony had promised all the proceeds to various non-profits that were reviled by conservatives. But all of that meant that Peggy was playing his father in the ballet and, as such they shared a lot of scenes together. 

“Whatever,” he finally snapped. “I’ll be civil when he is.” Bucky saw Peggy roll her eyes. “Are we done?”

Instead of answering, Peggy walked out of the studio. 

“See you tomorrow, Pegs,” Bucky mumbled at the door. He packed up his gear, threw on his hoodie, and started grumbling to himself as he walked out of the building. He was still thinking about Steve when he got to his apartment but the thoughts had started to go in a different direction. Instead of _he’s such an asshole_ , now Bucky’s head was filled with the memories of how Steve sounded when he was turned on. The little gasps he made when Bucky nibbled on his ear, how he had felt pressed against Bucky. He kept replaying their most recent make-out session.

“Fuck,” Bucky grumbled as his dick started to perk up at his current train of thought. Unzipping his hoodie, he let it fall in the middle of the floor as he walked to the shower. He was itchy from the dried sweat after rehearsal and his mind wouldn’t settle. Steve was such an annoying dick; Bucky didn’t know why he was attracted to him. 

“Probably because he’s got the body of a Grecian god and the most beautiful cock,” he said as he laughed a little at himself. Peeling off his clothes, piece by piece, he finally arrived at his shower. He turned the water on hot and waited for it to warm up. After a minute, the small room was filling with steam and Bucky turned the temperature to something he could stand under. His thoughts kept him half hard and Bucky decided to give into the impulse and just jerk off to his memories of Steve.

 _Can’t make it anymore awkward than it already is,_ he thought wryly. He dunked his head under the spray as he let his hands wander up and down his body. Bucky let the warm water relax his body and let out the memories he was failing to suppress: the heat of Steve in his mouth, the way he looked when he came, the feel of Steve’s mouth on Bucky. He tweaked his right nipple and let out a little gasp. His hips started a slow thrust as Bucky rolled his shoulders and neck to further relax. 

Not wanting to run out of hot water (he had learned that lesson the first week in his apartment; cold water was a huge boner killer) he reached down to grab his cock. He kept his grip loose, teasing himself to full hardness with a few strokes. The entire train ride home, Bucky had been on edge, horny and restless, so it didn’t take much extra stimulation to have him chasing release. He grabbed his conditioner, globbed some out and whined when the cool, thick liquid hit his hot dick. Making a tight hole with his fist he started fucking his fist, all the while thinking about Steve. Steve, with his strong arms that would be good at pinning Bucky down, thick thighs that would feel amazing wrapped around Bucky’s waist, a clever mouth that could only have improved at blow jobs. The twinkle Steve got in his eye when they performed another dance together. The way Steve’s eyes would crinkle at the edges when he laughed. The way his tongue stuck out a little when they were learning a new lift. The soft pink color of his lips, that turned bruised and red looking with a few kisses.

Bucky’s asshole started to tingle as he thought about what that mouth, that _tongue_ would feel like if Steve licked him there. He reached his free hand back, the metal one, and started to stroke his furled hole. 

Bucky’s toes started to curl as he jacked himself faster, still fantasizing about Steve, about things they hadn’t done. Being sheathed inside Steve’s ass seemed to be the winner of the moment and Bucky let out a long groan as he pictured Steve on his knees, bent over something, _anything_ , being taken by Bucky, over and over. How Bucky would feel, squeezed by that tight channel, how Steve would sound. Would he be quiet like their one night together, or would he be louder being penetrated? 

Finally Bucky hit his peak and his pleasure spread out from his crotch to his fingertips and toes as his hot come fell to the shower floor and was quickly washed away by the shower. He gave himself a few extra strokes, loving the way it set off a few more sparks. Calming his breathing, he turned to finish his shower, only to have to turn cold on him.

“FUCKING SHITTY SHOWER!” he shouted as he moved as far away from the cold spray as possible. He kept cursing his apartment, the microscopic water heater, Steve, jerking off while thinking about _Steve_ , as he gave himself the quickest wash and rise he could manage. Finally he deemed himself clean _enough_ and stopped the tortuous water. He opened the curtain, grabbed his towel and started rubbing himself dry, trying to warm himself up.

“At least the orgasm was good,” he muttered as he padded out to the living area to find something warm and fuzzy to relax in. He found some sweatpants, a clean t-shirt, and hoodie and got dressed. Grabbing his bag, he pulled out his cellphone to see a text from Becca asking him if he wanted to come over for dinner. Bucky shook his head and texted back that he was warm and comfy and had left over soup, but that he appreciated the thought. 

He spent the rest of the evening curled up on his couch, thinking about Steve and how much he wanted to still hate him but was unable to. 

——

#### May 2016

“You two are working better together,” Nat said with a sly look. She was helping Steve and Buccky iron out the few wrinkles they had in the second act.

Steve’s mind flew to the last time he and Bucky were alone. The hot kisses, the frantic rutting. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, we’re not going to be best friends anytime soon, but we seem to have found some middle ground,” he said with a fake smile.

Nat raised her left eyebrow. “Really…” she drawled.

Steve shook his head. “Yeah. We have a lot of friends in common so we’re trying to be civil.”

“Well, whatever you’re doing, I guess keep doing it. The _corps_ dancers say you’re a lot more fun to dance with, now that you and Barnes aren’t glaring daggers at each other.”

Steve shrugged and looked at Bucky who was warming up at the barre. “Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot. I mean, he’s a great dancer and honestly, our chemistry is pretty great.”

Nat gave him a fond look. “Well whatever it is, keep it up. When you and James aren’t at each other’s throats, Tony and I are happy.”

The rest of rehearsal seemed to fly by and Steve left with a smile on his face. Maybe he and Bucky would finally be able to put their past anger and hurt behind them.

There had always been something about Bucky that drew Steve in. He was gorgeous, of course, but more than that, they seemed to just understand each other. Steve didn’t know if it was their past trauma, Bucky’s loss of an arm and Steve’s surgeries as a child, but the summer they met, everything just seemed _right_. Bucky made Steve laugh, he was wonderful with the kids in the ballet, and he was smart as fuck. Plus he was gorgeous. Steve was drawn to him and he enjoyed their ceasefire.

——

The next day reminded Steve of Bucky’s first day with the SBC. Gone were the friendly looks and in their place were glares and frowns. Steve didn’t know what had happened to cause the hostility but if Bucky was going to be a dick again, he would accept it as a character flaw and move on.

Natasha wasn’t as sanguine about the change.

“For fucks sake!” she shouted after Steve poked Bucky in the side during a lift. “Steve! Bucky! Just _yesterday_ you were getting along. What the hell happened.”

Bucky took off to the other side of the studio. “Ask him,” he mumbled. 

Steve rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Bucky. _I’m_ not the one who started this.”

Bucky whirled around, his mouth gaping like a fish. “I’m— _I’m_ not the one who started it. Yeah, OK, Steve.” His words dripped with sarcasm. Steve couldn’t quite hear Bucky but it sounded like he muttered “just like last time”. 

Not knowing what _that_ meant, Steve squared his shoulders. “Look, we may hate each other but I’ll be damned if I’m losing this part because we can’t get along. Can we just agree to hate each other outside the studio? Because clearly we will _never_ get along.”

Bucky pursed his lips. “Fine,” he said shortly.

The rest of the rehearsal was uncomfortable and Steve didn’t know how he remembered all the steps to the dance, much less executed them. But they managed to get through the rest of the hour without consciously hurting each other. Nat gave them both a stern look when she left.

“What the _fuck_ is your problem, Bucky?” Steve asked. “We were _fine_ yesterday and now you’re in full asshole mode again.”

Bucky stalked up to where Steve was standing, forcing him to take a step back. With his face in Steve’s, he gritted out, “I’m no more of an asshole than you are, Rogers.” His face was pinched and red and he whirled around to leave but Steve grabbed his wrist.

“Seriously, Bucky— “ Steve started, trying to de-escalate the situation. 

Bucky spun back to glare at Steve. “I have nothing to say to you, _Rogers_.” He crowded Steve, making him take a step another back. 

“Just leave me alone.” Bucky’s voice was sad under the anger. Steve wisely kept his smartass _I thought you had nothing to say to me_ to himself. 

“Buck—”

The rest of Steve’s reply was cut off with a punishing kiss. Steve was so startled he took another step back and his back was against the wall. He let out a little “oof” as he hit it but Bucky kept on with his assault on Steve’s mouth. He didn’t understand why Bucky was so mad, why he was kissing him in the studio, why any of this was happening, but he knew he was starting to really like Bucky and he felt tears prick the back of his eyes at the other man’s anger.

Trying to slow the kiss down, he started stroking Bucky’s back. “Hey” — he said between kisses— “Wanna tell me what this is about?”

Bucky pulled back to fix his angry gaze at Steve. “You can’t really be that fucking stupid,” he spat out. “I _saw_ you with— “ Then to Steve’s horror, he saw Bucky’s eyes were shiny with unshed tears and he was biting his lip in a sad frown. “I know all about where I fit in your life now.” 

Instead of letting Steve ask what that meant, Bucky kissed him again. He leaned into Steve so their torsos were flush against each other. Still Bucky kept kissing him. His tongue was stroking Steve’s, he was nipping at Steve’s lower lip; the kisses felt less like anger and more like “goodbye”. 

Steve wrenched his mouth away and Bucky just moved to his neck, biting and kissing. They were both hard, Steve could feel Bucky’s length against his hip while his own erection was slowly rubbing against Bucky’s abdomen. He wasn't sure what the correct response to a crying Bucky who was also feeling him up was, but he was content to let Bucky run the show.

Bucky started a slow grind against Steve, slotting his thigh between Steve’s legs. Steve dropped his head so he could nudge Bucky back into a kiss. In stark contrast to their previous kisses, Bucky let Steve take the lead. Steve tried to be as gentle as possible, softly tracing Bucky’s lips with his tongue before sucking on Bucky’s tongue.

Bucky must have seen that as some sort of sign because he reached down Steve’s pants to grasp his erection. “Tell me to stop _now_ , Rogers,” he whispered. 

Steve shook his head. “Whatever you want, Buck.” He left the _I only ever wanted what you wanted_ , silent. Hesitantly he started to rub Bucky’s erection through his cotton pants. “OK?” he asked quietly.

Bucky nodded and Steve reached into Bucky’s pants for his cock. It was hot in his hand and he gasped as Bucky renewed his own efforts, stroking Steve firmly, if a little dryly. 

Steve reached down to slide Bucky’s pants down until they were at mid-thigh. He spat in his hand and reached down to caress Bucky again. Following his lead, Bucky did the same until they were half hunched over each other, breathing the same air. 

They stroked each other, letting the moist air build, letting their sweat help keep the friction away. Steve watched as Bucky’s calloused hand held him, stroked him, with such gentleness. He sighed as he came, spilling hot and thick. Letting go of Bucky for a brief moment, he grabbed Bucky’s hand, moving it so they both stroked Bucky’s cock with Steve’s release. He hid his face in Steve’s neck and Steve could feel his breath stutter when he finished on their clasped hands.

Steve felt something wet splash his neck and then Bucky backed away, clumsily pulling his pants up. His eyes widened as he saw Bucky’s face, flushed from his recent orgasm and with a look that broke Steve’s heart.

“Never again. Do you hear me, Steve? This never happens again.”

Steve watched him go and then he slid down the wall, bare ass hitting the cool wooden floor, and buried his face in his hands.

#### August 2016

“I think I should have stayed in Chicago,” Bucky admitted to Wanda and Becca, one hot evening. 

“What’s wrong, baby brother?” Becca asked and patted him on the arm. “Pretend that’s a hug,” she explained. “‘S too fucking hot for a real hug.” 

Bucky nodded and smiled at her. From the twin expressions on his sister’s and her fiancée’s face, it was not a successful smile. He looked at his apartment, after a year and a half, it finally resembled something like a home. The creaky air conditioning unit in the window was soothing with its white noise and he let his mind wander as Becca kept patting his arm. She was in an accent chair that was a hand-me-down from their parents, while Wanda and he were on opposite sides of the couch. He let out a sigh.

“I just thought I could be happy here, but it’s just been one thing after another.” He let out a long sigh. “I really think after _Swan Lake_ I’m going to reach out to the Joffrey and see if I can get my place back.”

Wanda looked at him with a sad expression on his face. “What’s wrong, Bucky? I thought things had calmed down with you and Steve.”

“Why do you assume it’s about _Rogers_?” Bucky spat out. 

Wanda, unimpressed, raised her eyebrows. “You’re trying to tell me it’s _not_ about Steve, after you say his name like that?”

Bucky leaned back, letting his head thump on the arm of the couch. It really wasn’t his best idea and he sat back up to rub at the spot that now hurt. Throughout it all, Becca was patting and rubbing his arm, frowning slightly.

“Have you been to see that therapist you were talking about?” she asked him. He frowned back at his sister and shook his head. She had been his first call after his last encounter with Steve. They had stayed up late watching old movies and eating ice cream. Becca had remarked that they were living out the stereotypical 90s rom-com and Bucky had finally smiled.

He didn’t go into any specifics with her, or anyone else. Bucky felt too fragile, too brittle to admit what had happened with Steve. But Wanda was giving the other man the cold shoulder after classes and rehearsals. He assumed Becca had filled her in on the heartache Bucky was feeling. He appreciated the sentiment but dancing with Steve, day after day, until the weeks turned into a month, then two, had worn Bucky down.

Talking to a therapist would have been the smart thing to do, Bucky knew that. He even was lucky enough to find the woman who had helped him after the loss of his arm so he didn’t have to start fresh with a new person. But he thought he should be able to get through the almost-but-not-quite breakup on his own. It’s not like they had admitted _feelings_ or anything. 

Biting his lip, he forced a smile. “I’ve got shitty Italian Ice in my freezer and rented _Dirty Dancing_ if anyone wants some entertainment.”

Seeing the diversion for what it was, Becca and Wanda smiled at him as he got up to get the frozen treat.

——

Bucky was silent when he and Peggy danced. She didn’t say anything aside from comments about the dance until they were done rehearsing. They were both throwing street clothes on when she finally broke the silence.

“So you’re going to repeat history and cut Steve off from everything, are you?” Peggy’s words were clipped and her expression stern.

“Oh, boo hoo Steve,” Bucky said in his most sarcastic tone. “Poor little Steve’s gonna have to go running back to his _boyfriend_.”

Peggy frowned and rolled her eyes. “Steve doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

“The gossip sites say otherwise,” he shot back.

“Oh, so you’re going to believe the _internet_ over his best friend?” Peggy whirled around. “Is this why you’ve been such a prat lately?”

Bucky laughed but there was no humor in it. “Sorry, but I’m a ‘prat’ for being angry at Steve for fucking around with me while he’s dating some huge blond guy? I saw the pictures.”

Peggy shook her head. Bucky thought he heard her whisper “idiot boys” under her breath but couldn’t be totally sure. “If you’re referring to the pictures of Steve and Thor, his incredibly _straight_ and _married_ friend then yes. You’re a prat. He’s been so upset, wondering what he did to cause you to cut him out of his life.” She took a deep breath and stared at Bucky. “Again, I might add. This is the second time you’ve been an asshole for no reason.”

“He never called!” Bucky practically shouted. “I left him my number and he _never_ tried to get in touch with me. It was my first time and he just let me move away without a word! I refuse to take the blame for that.”

Peggy threw her hands in the air. “How was he supposed to call you without your number?” 

Bucky felt his eyes widen. He walked over to the barre and leaned on it, taking a few breaths to calm himself. “I left my number that summer,” he said softly.

Peggy walked up to him with a sad look on her face. “If you did, he didn’t see it. Bucky, he was crazy about you that summer. Just like now. He’s always liked you, even when he hated you.” Bucky let out a snort at that. “You know what I mean.” Her voice was stern but Bucky could see she was fighting back a small smile. “I think perhaps a conversation wouldn’t go amiss. There seems to be an inordinate amount of miscommunication between the two of you.”

Letting out a sigh, Bucky nodded. “Yeah, I guess I should talk to him.”

——

Bucky’s conversation with Peggy haunted him on his way home. Was he really the douche in the situation? Was he mad at Steve for all the _wrong_ reasons? He texted Wanda and Becca calling for an emergency meeting at his apartment.

Wanda hugged Bucky as soon as they got there while Becca lightly punched him on the arm. “What’s up, brother?” she asked as he rubbed his arm. She rolled her eyes at his _pain_.

Bucky let out a sigh. “I think maybe I was wrong about Steve.” 

“Do we need ice cream or drinks?” Wanda asked.

“Neither? I kinda need to keep a clear head.” Bucky tried to smile but ended up chewing on his lip instead. “I had a talk with Peggy.”

They settled into Bucky’s furniture as he told them the whole story. Leaving his number for Steve and never getting the call because somehow Steve had never gotten the note. Messing around with Steve and having the old feelings resurface, only to see a gossip site with pictures of Steve and a very handsome, very muscular man at dinner. Learning that the other man was not in fact Steve’s romantic interest, but his friend.

Wanda started to laugh. “I’m sorry, Bucky! I’m so sorry! I’m not trying to minimize your pain, but you were jealous of _Thor_?” She continued giggling until Becca nudged her in the side.

“Be nice, Wanda. Bucky can’t help being a moron,” she chimed in.

“Thanks, Becca,” Bucky responded, dryly.

“Honestly, Bucky, if you had just _talked_ to somebody, me, Nat, Peggy, _Steve_ , you could have saved a couple months of angst.” Wanda’s tone was kind but Bucky still felt himself flush.

“I should apologize,” he muttered.

Becca cocked her head to the side. “I’ve heard good things about groveling,” she said, trying not to giggle.

Sighing, Bucky smiled back at her and Wanda. “I’m glad my pain brings you joy.”

“It’s just so needlessly dramatic,” Wanda responded.

Becca blew a kiss to Wanda. “I’m glad I never liked boys.”

——

After a vague text from Peggy about Bucky, Steve was expecting the knock at his door. He peeped through the peephole and saw it was in fact, the man in question. Rolling his eyes he opened the door.

“Can I help you? Are you here to berate me for some unknown sin again?” he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Bucky hung his head. “I’m here to apologize,” he whispered. 

Steve opened the door, allowing Bucky into his apartment. “Fine. But if you start to pick any sort of fight with me—”

“No!” Bucky interrupted. “No. I was operating on incomplete information and I’m sorry. I saw some pictures of you and your friend and jumped to the wrong conclusion. I’m sorry for believing the internet instead of asking you about it. I just….” He trailed off, still looking sad in the entry-way to Steve’s apartment. “I thought you didn’t care about me beyond sex. Peggy told me you didn’t see that I left my number that summer and so to think you not only brushed me off after that, then to see you in a relationship with another” — he held up his hand, stopping his rambling and Steve’s rant in its tracks. “I _know_ you’re not with him. But I saw red. And I didn’t want to admit to anyone that I let you play me for a fool twice. Even if it was a misunderstanding both times.” 

“Why don’t you come in?” Steve asked, moving to his living room. Trying to remember how to be a good host he added, “can I get you anything to drink?”

Bucky smiled a little. “Not right now, thanks.”

“OK, but we have a lot to talk about,” Steve said, getting settled into his couch. Bucky followed him, sitting as far away from Steve as possible.

Then they talked. They talked about what had happened in 2008, about what had happened in the last few months. Bucky apologized again for his behavior. Steve listened, a small glimmer of hope starting to bloom in his chest. Then he was struck by a more sobering thought.

“How do I know, _if_ we give this another try, that you’re not going to go flying off the hook and accuse me of something?” he asked.

“I’ll have to trust you, and try to earn your trust in return,” Bucky said soberly. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy but if you want to try to start over, I would love it. But I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t want anything to do with me.” He shrugged. “We’re both partially to blame but I know I’m more in the wrong than you. I came over to tell you I’m sorry. I don’t expect anything from you; I just wanted to apologize. I can go if you want.”

Steve’s stomach let out a growl. “Or you could stay for pizza?”

Steve thought about the courage Bucky had shown, laying himself bare, admitting his wrongs. He didn’t know if they would be able to totally move past their past behavior and anger but he was willing to try. Hearing an apology from Bucky had soothed some of the anger Steve had been carrying for months.

“I’m not ready to state my intentions,” Steve said making Bucky laugh a little wetly. “But I don’t want to throw away a fresh start. I’m not promising anything but I’m willing to try again.” Steve scooched over on the couch until they were touching shoulders. He moved his hand so he could link his pinky with Bucky’s. “I really like you, Buck. I always have. But you’ve got to fucking talk to me.”

Bucky glanced down at their entwined pinkies and moved his hand so his palm was up and Steve greedily grabbed it. “I promise.”

——

Things were calmer after their talk. Steve once again got to interact with the Bucky he had fallen for all those years ago. The snarky, sweet, stupidly talented Bucky who always had a secret smile and dirty wink for Steve when Nat wasn’t looking. They were trading long, hot looks during rehearsals now instead of rude gestures and Steve was thrilled.

After a long talk with Peggy, she had come around to supporting the new beginning of their relationship. She had been understandably wary of Bucky after all the pain he had caused Steve. But seeing how hurt Bucky had been, hearing his apology and vow to communicate had won her over in the end. Nat and Tony were thrilled they weren’t going to have to break up any cat-fights the night of the premier. 

A month went by of rehearsal, dates, talking, and spending time with their friends. They were tentative with the physical side of their relationship; neither of them wanted to rush back into sex without being emotionally ready. With years of hurt feelings to move past, keeping their dicks to themselves seemed like a good plan. 

It was not, however, an easy plan.

“Fuck, Steve, you’re so hot,” Bucky moaned as they necked on Steve’s couch. Steve had a lap full of squirmy, hard Bucky and he was losing his mind. 

“Why are we going slow?” he asked as he thrust up against Bucky.

Bucky leaned back and laughed at him. “We’re trying to be _adults_ , Steve.” Then he leaned down and bit at Steve’s neck, the place they both knew made Steve lose all rational thought.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he panted, his body restless, as Bucky licked that spot. “It’s been a month, surely that’s long enough for us to be adults.” 

Bucky moved his head so they could look at each other. He had a wicked gleam in his eye. “When you think about it, we _have_ known each other for eight years.”

Steve threw his head back and laughed. “You make a good point, Buck.” Then he swiveled his hips rubbing his cock against Bucky’s. “What do you want to do?”

Suddenly Bucky blushed and Steve felt his heart expand until it almost broke. “I’ve been thinking about you fucking me for almost all of those eight years,” he admitted.

Steve’s brain stopped. Like _do not pass go, do not collect $200_ stopped. “Uhhhh,” he croaked out. “I mean— uhhhh, I’m not against that. If you’re not.” Steve was so proud of his eloquence whilst turned on. Also he was probably spending too much time with Peggy if he was using words like _whilst_ and _eloquence_.

Bucky laughed at him, pure and beautiful and Steve couldn’t believe he got a second (or was it third?) chance with this man. Even after all the mess, the hurt feelings, they had persevered and were working to make their relationship work. Bucky kissed him again, letting Steve fuck into his mouth as a tease of what was to come. 

“Yeah, let’s go to my room,” he said between kisses.

Bucky shimmied off Steve’s lap, smirking at Steve’s bulge. Steve just stared at Bucky’s crotch in return. Steve wasn’t the only one affected by their grinding on the couch.

“Lead the way,” Bucky said in a rough voice. 

They walked across the apartment as Steve worried about the state of his room. He knew there was a pile of dirty clothes in one corner and he was pretty sure his lube was still out from the night before. Rutting against Bucky and then going home alone was, well it was _hard_. Steve laughed at his train of thought and Bucky gave him a questioning look.

“Just happy,” he explained. “Also my room is probably a wreck. Don’t judge me.” Bucky laughed again and followed Steve in.

“I dunno, looks pretty normal,” Bucky said, surveying the unmade bed, the laundry, and the lube that was prominently displayed on Steve’s bedside table. Bucky winked at Steve and gracelessly fell on the bed, letting out a little “oof” as he landed. 

Steve settled himself gently over Bucky, getting comfy between his legs. He stared into Bucky’s cool blue eyes then leaned down to kiss him, hot and lazy until Bucky started to squirm.

“I should…” he started, breaking their kiss. “Can I clean up in your bathroom?” Bucky’s cheeks were pink as he asked and Steve was once again charmed by the blushing.

Steve nodded and pointed to the bathroom door. “There’s some uh...wipes. Under the sink,” he stammered. The sex part of sex was great but the awkward fumblings of prep and personal hygine could get a little, well, _awkward_. Steve’s ma had always harped on the fact that having sex meant talking about difficult subjects so he rolled off Bucky and asked “is there anything I can do? Anything you need in particular?”

Bucky shook his head and smiled. “Soap and water and maybe those wipes should be enough. I’ll be back in a bit.” Then he dipped his head and muttered “be naked when I’m back?”

Steve started nodding. “Yeah, yeah, I can do that. Take as long as you need. I’m comfy here until you’re ready.”

As Bucky went to do what he needed and Steve shimmied out of his clothes, his thoughts strayed to what they were about to do together. Steve was versatile and liked to top and bottom, but he thought this was a gesture of Bucky’s trust in Steve. Bottoming, opening up his body to Steve, in this situation, felt like he was placing himself in Steve’s hands, allowing himself to be vulnerable. 

After a few minutes, Bucky walked back into Steve’s room, now naked but still hard, face pink and smiling. Steve made grabby hands and Bucky climbed into bed. “Those wipes were handy,” Bucky said, hiding his face against Steve’s shoulder. Steve chuckled a little and ran his fingers through Bucky’s hair. He nipped at Bucky’s ear, reveling in the gasp it pulled from the other man.

“How do you like this?” Steve asked, softly. This was the most intimate they had ever been and whispering seemed appropriate. “I can prep you or if you prefer—”

“I want you to do it,” Bucky whispered back. Steve nodded and pulled Bucky up into a soft kiss. He kissed Bucky’s nose, his eyelids, his forehead, then made his way to behind Bucky’s ear. He nibbled his way down Bucky’s neck to his collarbone. Steve knew from their extensive make-out sessions that this was one of Bucky’s hot spots, so he spent long moments sucking and licking until there were dark pink spots across them and Bucky was writhing. Steve knew not to leave bruises, Nat would _kill_ them if they came in with love bites in visible spots only a couple of months before the show. Tony was terrible about remembering to warn the dancers of photo shoots and press drop-ins so he didn’t want to leave marks on Bucky.

As he slid lower, licking and biting down Bucky’s abs, he decided he could leave a big mark on the other man’s iliac crest. He licked and sucked as Bucky spat out curses. 

“Steve!” He took a deep breath. “Don’t mark me up, Nat will—” 

“She better not see you without your pants on, Barnes,” Steve growled. He wasn’t possessive but Nat had no business seeing Bucky sans pants. He renewed his efforts, knowing Bucky would let him know if marking up his hip was unacceptable. Instead Bucky just groaned and let himself go boneless. 

Happy with his mark, he bent down to lick Bucky’s cock from root to tip. He peeked up at Bucky’s face and smirked to see his mouth open and eyes shut. 

“I can hear you staring at me, Rogers. Less staring, more attention on my dick.” Steve laughed and followed orders; swirling his tongue around Bucky’s length, bobbing his head to take as much in his mouth, letting Bucky bump the back of his throat. Then he pulled off, still on his knees, and gently smacked Bucky on the hip. 

“Roll over, Buck.” 

“‘M not a horse, Steve. Don’t need to slap me on the flank.” But he did as asked and rolled over until he was on his knees, arms bent so his ass was right in Steve’s face. 

“Has anyone told you your ass is a masterpiece?” Steve felt Bucky’s body shake as he laughed.

“Oh yeah, my best friend Wanda, who is a lesbian and engaged to my sister, tells me that all the time.” 

Steve gave him a quick lick then bit him. “FUCK! Steve! What the hell?!?" 

“We’re supposed to be romantic, not snarky.” But he kissed the little white marks on Bucky’s ass. He had bit a little bit harder than he meant so he muttered “sorry” into the skin between kisses. 

“When have we ever been romantic, Steve?” Bucky asked, contorting his upper half so he could look Steve in the eye. “If you can name one time, I’ll shut up until you’re done.” 

Steve thought. “That time at that restaurant in midtown—” 

“That doesn’t count,” Bucky interrupted with a grin. “That was Wanda’s idea.” Steve rolled his eyes. Bucky wasn’t _wrong_ , the candlelit dinner and ballroom lesson was romantic. But it was indeed Wanda’s idea. 

“Are you really going to cockblock us with _Wanda_?” 

Bucky groaned. “You started it. But fine.” He wiggled his ass in Steve’s face. “Carry on.” 

Steve gave him another bite, this one very gentle and ran his hands up and down Bucky’s back a few times until the other man had stopped giggling. As a reward, he let his fingers go lower, gently teasing and rubbing along Bucky’s crack, tapping at his hole. He spread Bucky’s cheeks to take a peek at the small pink pucker. “Can I eat you out?” he asked. 

Bucky gasped out a “yes” and Steve pulled his cheeks open wider and started gently licking. Bucky tasted clean and a little astringent, the only downside to the wipes was the after taste, but Steve didn’t care. Bucky’s ass was both rough and soft under his tongue and it fluttered as Bucky cried out. He lapped at the sensitive bundle of nerves and reached down to fist his own cock. He wasn’t going to let either of them come until he was inside Bucky, but teasing them both had its merits. Steve made his tongue into a point and started trying to wiggle it into Bucky, barely breaching his rim. Bucky was shaking and gasping and making the sexiest little noises. Deciding the teasing had gone on long enough, Steve sat up and asked “hand me the lube?” in a wrecked voice. Bucky apparently had lost his voice because he just nodded and handed Steve the bottle. 

After he slicked up his finger, Steve started to rub at Bucky’s entrance, which was already slightly loose. He slipped his index finger in to the first knuckle then paused. “OK?” he asked. Bucky nodded and grunted so Steve pressed until his entire finger was inside Bucky. Bucky’s channel was tight and hot and slick from the lube and Steve loved the way it gently fluttered around his finger. 

Bucky was shifting restlessly, little pants escaping him as Steve gently twisted his finger. He started to slowly thrust as he twisted, then he curled his finger, _just so_ and made Bucky bark out an “ah” as Steve gently stroked his prostate. After an indeterminate amount of time (Steve’s brain was sex muddled and the concept of time was _difficult_ in the best of circumstances) Bucky’s ass seemed to loosen. 

“Another?” he asked, eyes glued to Bucky who was shifting and wiggling and couldn't seem to stop moving. 

He nodded and gritted out a broken, “yeah.” 

Grabbing the lube, Steve slicked up two of his fingers and slid them in gently. Bucky was tense, no doubt feeling a slight burn, but after a few seconds his whole body relaxed. He canted his hips, fucking himself on Steve, making Steve chuckle. 

“Like that, huh?” he asked, starting to thrust in counterpoint to Bucky’s hips. 

“Steve, yes, you’re good at this,” Bucky said, a little breathlessly. “Less fucking talking and more fucking _fucking_.” Steve laughed but followed the instructions and started to gently scissor his fingers. Soon Steve could see a slight sheen of sweat over Bucky’s upper body and he was grunting with every breath. 

“I’m so sorry to keep talking but—” 

“Steve. Shut up. Get in me, I’m fine. Your cock is big but it’s not going to split me in half. Get inside me before we both die. Please….” He trailed off as Steve started massaging his prostate. “Steve!” he squeaked. “Please.” 

Steve nodded, then realizing Bucky couldn’t see anything with his head buried in his arms, he let out a gruff “yeah, OK. Grab me a condom from the drawer?” 

Steve slid his fingers out of Bucky and sat back on his ankles as the other man dug around in his bedside table. Finding the foil package, Bucky sat up on his knees and twisted his body to kiss Steve. The kisses were lazy but heated, and Steve was unconsciously rolling his hips, looking for friction. He handed Steve the condom and sank back down on his arms. Steve’s hands were shaking a little as he tore open the packet and slid the condom on himself. 

“You’re not going to hurt me, Steve. We’re trusting each other, yeah? I’m good to go,” Bucky said, breaking Steve’s reverie. Steve leaned down so he could kiss the back of Bucky’s neck and nodded against his skin. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he whispered. Then he sat back up, lined up, and started gently pressing into Bucky. The head of his cock finally breached Bucky’s rim and Steve stilled his hips, letting Bucky get used to the intrusion. After a few moments, he started pushing in a little more. Steve continued the slow pattern until he was fully sheathed inside Bucky’s ass. 

Bucky let out a low grunt and a harsh laugh. “Fuck, you’re big,” he groaned. “I maybe oversold myself.” Steve started to pull out, scared he was hurting the other man. Bucky reached back and gripped Steve’s hip in warning. “Doesn’t mean I don’t wanna do this,” he explained. “Just give me a little bit to adjust.” 

Willing to give Bucky all the time in the world, Steve moved so he could drape himself over Bucky. “Whatever you need, Buck,” he whispered and then started to nibble at Bucky’s ear. They stayed still for a few moments and then Bucky started to swivel his hips on Steve and he let out a sigh that Steve felt with his whole body. Taking the little thrusts as evidence Bucky was ready, Steve started to gently thrust in and out. 

They kept the slow, tender rhythm for a little bit until Bucky growled out, “harder, Rogers,” and Steve obeyed. He pulled out and snapped his hips, making Bucky cry out. “Yeah, perfect, Steve. Don’t stop.” 

Steve did stop, momentarily, pulling himself off Bucky’s back for better leverage. He gripped Bucky’s hips so hard he was afraid he was going to leave bruises, but Bucky only groaned his assent. After a few hard thrusts, Bucky started to thrust back in counterpoint to Steve and this time _Steve_ was the one groaning. Their rhythm got faster and harder and Steve couldn’t see straight with how hot, how tight Bucky was around his length. He could see Bucky jerking himself off in time with Steve’s thrusts and that just spurred him on. 

He pounded into Bucky, reveling in his gasps and grunts, loving how he _just_ fit inside Bucky’s body. Steve could feel his balls start to tighten, his fingers and toes were tingling in pleasure, sweat was beading at his temples, behind his knees, his hands where they gripped Bucky’s hips. His breath was short and jagged as he fucked Bucky. Steve’s heart felt like it was going to burst from exertion and the beginnings of love. 

“‘M not gonna last, Buck,” he finally said. 

“Good,” Bucky replied. “Want you to come in me, Steve. Want you to fill me up.” 

Bucky’s words lit a fire in Steve’s soul and he squeezed his eyes shut, only feeling the parts of him that were touching Bucky. After half a dozen or so rough thrusts, he reached his peak and his toes curled, his brain stopped, he saw fireworks behind his eyelids, and he came, barely breathing. 

As soon as he got his breath back and the aftershocks of pleasure calmed down, he pulled out of Bucky, pulled off the condom, flung it in the general direction of the trash can, and flipped Bucky over onto his back. He wasted no time taking him down as far as he could. He slipped his fingers back into Bucky’s depth, wiggling and massaging his inside as he stimulated Bucky’s cock with his mouth. Steve smiled around Bucky’s cock as he gasped and panted and writhed. 

“Close!” he squeaked out. Steve renewed his efforts, fucking into Bucky with short thrusts, intent on making this as pleasurable for Bucky as possible. Opening his throat as much as he could, Steve got more of Bucky inside him and then Bucky was coming, his release hot and bitter in Steve’s mouth. 

Steve slid up so he and Bucky were face to face again. “Hey,” he said, kissing Bucky gently. “That was fun.” Bucky started laughing. 

“Steve, you doof, that was _amazing_. I mean I’m gonna dance funny tomorrow but, worth it.” 

Steve imagined Nat’s response to a sore Bucky and started laughing with Bucky. “Nat’s gonna kill us,” he agreed. 

“ _Worth_ it,” Bucky said again. 

—— 

#### November 2016

_The chemistry between Steve Rogers and James “Bucky” Barnes is palapitible in Stark Ballet Company’s_ Swan Lake _. I will admit, the last time I saw them in the same room, just a few months ago, the tension was overwhelming. But now, as I’m allowed backstage, I witness what I never thought I would see: Barnes and Rogers holding hands and joking with the other dancers. Whatever happened to change their acrimonious relationship, has also improved their stage presence. I would be hard pressed to think of a performance that rivaled this one in emotional impact. The choice of casting both leads as male dancers was a controversial one, but ultimately one that paid off in spades. After the show, I was able to sit down with Natasha Romanoff to talk more about the dynamics and difficulties in casting two men in a ballet steeped in tradition._

    Pointe Magazine

     -story by Clint Barton, pictures by Sam Wilson

**Author's Note:**

>  **Daphneblithe** : Hasn't Pineau_noir done an AMAZING job! These two guuuuyyss! I am so pleased you chose my art, honey! And thank you also to wonderful RBB mods for the heroic feat of organizing this bang.  
> (I am [on twitter](https://twitter.com/daphneblithe) and I humbly have other work including 21-pieces-of-art (some NSFW) in an eerie Stucky romance, [Love Among the Ruins](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16929495/chapters/39777129) <3 )
> 
>  **Pineau_noir** : OMG I cannot tell you all how fortunate I was to be able to work with Daphne on this! She's so lovely and talented and being able to claim her art (after meeting her through 2018's RBB) was such a dream come true! This story may have been _difficult_ at times, but the source material kept me going, even when I was convinced everything was garbage. It's just the most gorgeous art and I'm so thrilled I got to write a story for it.
> 
> Thanks so much to the mods and as always my loves, [Mortenavida](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mortenavida/pseuds/mortenavida), [Sable](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirsable/pseuds/sirsable), and [Coldwinterrose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldwinterrose/pseuds/coldwinterrose). Without the three of them, this would not have been finished. They are just the loveliest people and amazing friends. And an extra special thanks to Coldwinterrose for the beta!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://pineau-noir.tumblr.com/) and as Pineau_noir on [Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.social/Pineau_noir), and [Dreamwidth](https://pineau-noir.dreamwidth.org/). I'm...uh kinda active on them?


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